Professional Profile

EXTENSION:

ONGOING PROGRAMS:

1. Kentucky 4-H Horse Program:

I oversee, coordinate and provide leadership for the 4-H Horse Program in Kentucky. I provide learning opportunities for the youth through camps, clinics, seminars, the State Horse Show, the State Horse Contest, and the State Horse Judging Contest. My role is to ensure the quality of the program content, facilitating communication among leaders, agents and parents, serving as liaison with the sites where the events are held, monitoring budget issues, and ensuring that the rules are clear. Approximately 250 youth participate in the State Contest, 120 youth participate in the State Judging Contest, and about 700 youth and 800 horses participate in the State Show.

2. Horse Volunteer Certification Program:

This program was implemented in the Fall of 2010 to train club volunteer leaders on youth development. To date there have been 10 certification workshops, and over 300 certified leaders.

3. Horse Discovery Website:

I developed the content for this webpage. This resource covers 11 different topics, which are: breeds, bits, equipment, external parasites, forages, feed ingredients, internal parasites, record keeping, judging, poisonous plants, and shoes. Webpage went live in 2013: http://www2.ca.uky.edu/horsediscovery/

4. Saddle Up Safely (Executive committee and Web blogger):

This program has the objective to improve the safety in horseback riding. I am part of the executive committee and I also write a periodic blog about horse safety and general horse health care. To date I have written over 100 blog posts, which were accessed over 100,000 times. As part of the executive committee I help decide the direction the program will take, and I have also reviewed and helped edit the 7 published safety brochures (Trailering your Horse Safely, Travel to New Environments, Pasture Safety, Barn Safety, Horseback riding safety, Horse related injury, and Horse transmitted disease).

5. Kentucky 4-H Volunteer Forum:

The Kentucky 4-H Volunteer Forum is a biannual event sponsored by the State 4-H Office. The Horse Track consists of 11 workshops and presentations designed to provide updates and training to agents and leaders on the 4-H Horse Program. My role is to coordinate the Horse Track in the Volunteer Forum, recruit and select the 11 workshop speakers, and run the Horse Track during the event.

1. Host for the 2014 International Society of Rider Biomechanics Symposium, September 2014, Lexington KY.

2. Scientific Proofs: From Hoof to Harness, at the Kentucky Science Center, May 2014, Louisville KY. Part of a panel of experts discussing the science of the thoroughbred industry covering topics such as injury treatment, pathology, geriatrics, and horse care.

3. Updates in the Horse 4-H Program – What does the Horse Program have to offer you and your club? 4-H Volunteer Leaders Forum, Horse Track, February, 2014.